"Awoooo~"
The Midnight Form Lycanroc howled again, this time the sound lasting longer than before.
"Here they come."
Following the lead Lycanroc's howl, the other Lycanroc seemed to have received their orders and all crouched low to the ground.
The moment the Midnight Form Lycanroc's howl stopped, every Lycanroc—whether Dusk Form or Midday Form—charged forward simultaneously.
In an instant, the entire Vast Poni Canyon was filled with the growls and battle cries of the Rock-type wolves.
In terms of numbers, the Lycanroc held the advantage. For a Fighting-type like Lucario, this wasn't an ideal situation for attacking.
However, for Blastoise—a ranged attacker—this wasn't particularly difficult.
There was still considerable distance between the two sides, but the Lycanroc were extremely fast. Fighting on their home territory, they knew the terrain intimately.
In just a few seconds, they'd closed half the distance.
Blastoise adjusted its sunglasses.
Time to make my entrance!
The two cannons on its back rotated simultaneously, aiming in two different directions.
Power continued building in Blastoise's cannons.
"Hydro Pump!"
"Icy Wind!"
The long-charged Hydro Pump was incredibly powerful. Three streams shot out from behind Blastoise in unison, targeting Lycanroc approaching from three different directions.
The attacks completely separated three Lycanroc from the main pack.
The targeted Lycanroc were knocked to the ground by the sudden, powerful impact. They could only watch helplessly as their packmates continued forward, leaving them far behind.
"Now, Lucario!"
Without waiting for Roy's command, Lucario had already executed a combination of Agility and Rock Smash the moment the Hydro Pump launched.
A shadow quickly passed through the gaps between the charging Lycanroc. In just one breath, it appeared directly in front of the isolated Pokémon who hadn't yet recovered.
Lucario gave the three unlucky stragglers no chance to stand back up.
Just seconds ago, these Lycanroc had been reeling from the Hydro Pump's impact.
Their vision blurred, and suddenly they saw a figure that shouldn't have been there.
The Lycanroc's pupils shrank in shock.
"Boom!"
"Awoo—"
The next moment, similar cries came from the right side of the formation as well.
Wails kept rising from the rear of the main group, arousing suspicion among the other Lycanroc.
What's happening back there?
What's going on?
But under the command of the Midnight Form Lycanroc, none of the pack stopped advancing. They had no time to worry about their fallen comrades.
Even as more packmates were continuously struck by Hydro Pump and then defeated one by one by Lucario using Agility, the remaining Lycanroc kept pushing forward.
Eventually, about five or six Lycanroc managed to reach Blastoise directly.
The Lycanroc's eyes were filled with hatred, their pupils completely bloodshot. Each one opened its jaws wide and leaped high, trying to sink their fangs viciously into Blastoise's flesh.
They knew that once this long-range attacker fell, their chances of victory would increase dramatically.
At that moment, Lucario's advance was being hindered by several Midnight Form Lycanroc with higher endurance. There was no way to use Agility to rescue Blastoise in time.
But Blastoise showed no fear when faced with those gleaming fangs.
Not only did it not retreat even half a step, but it actually smiled.
"Withdraw!"
Following Roy's command, Blastoise instantly retracted into its giant shell.
Seeing Blastoise successfully evade the attack, Lucario felt relieved.
Faint electric currents began crackling between Lucario's paws, producing sizzling sounds.
It struck several surrounding Lycanroc with electrified punches, eliciting pained howls and the smell of singed fur.
Thunder Punch.
The Lycanroc attacking Blastoise were caught completely off guard by its sudden Withdraw. It was too late to stop their biting momentum.
Their force was so great that they left several tooth marks on Blastoise's shell, making Blastoise grimace inside its protective covering.
But the Lycanroc were clearly not pleased either—one or two broken fangs lay scattered on the ground.
The commanding Midnight Form Lycanroc saw the situation deteriorating and ordered the other Lycanroc with remaining strength to regroup.
Several Lycanroc who managed to stand up staggered toward the same location.
Of course, Roy wouldn't give them a chance to reorganize. He quickly ordered:
"Blastoise, stop them!"
"Capture the leader first!"
The two Pokémon shared a mental connection with Roy through his Aura, and they understood his thoughts in just a moment.
Blastoise quickly emerged from its shell—thankful it had put on sunglasses beforehand, otherwise its watering eyes would have been quite embarrassing.
Blastoise used Water Gun again, employing the same tactic to wash away the staggering Lycanroc once more.
For now, they couldn't pose any threat.
Blastoise patted its cannons in satisfaction, then touched the scratches on its shell.
Ah, my poor shell...
Meanwhile, Lucario was having a tougher fight.
Lucario used Quick Attack to reach the Midnight Form Lycanroc in the blink of an eye, moving at nearly supersonic speed.
The lead Lycanroc's pupils contracted slightly—it clearly hadn't expected Lucario to be so fast.
One of Lucario's paws was already cocked back for a strike.
"Awoo!"
The Midnight Form Lycanroc tried to summon its packmates to attack Lucario together.
But when it looked around, it saw a large area covered with water puddles and Lycanroc staggering about or lying motionless. They'd clearly lost their ability to battle.
Did this Pokémon do all this?!
The overlooked Blastoise wanted to point out that it was also quite capable, thank you very much!
Lucario didn't know what conclusions the Lycanroc was drawing, and frankly, it didn't matter.
Lucario's left and right paws transformed into fists, delivering punch after punch that accurately struck the Midnight Form Lycanroc's body.
The lead Lycanroc managed to block some of Lucario's attacks at first.
But Lucario's punching speed was too fast. Eventually, the Lycanroc could only take hits passively.
Because Lucario was using Power-Up Punch, each strike hurt more than the last.
The Midnight Form Lycanroc could only try to avoid Lucario's increasingly powerful attacks while repeatedly using Sand Attack to reduce its opponent's accuracy.